Trash May Reach New Heights

Landfill Mountain Would Be Tallest Hampton Landmark

March 20, 1995|By STEVE TOLOKEN Daily Press

Hampton landfill operators want to build a mountain of trash along Interstate 64 that would be five times the height of Virginia Beach's Mt. Trashmore - making it easily the tallest landmark in Hampton.

Federal regulations would require the mound to be shielded from nearby roads and subdivisions, but it would be visible from farther away, said Sanifill Inc. spokesman Howard Burns. Trash would be covered with soil at the end of each day, and, as the mound grew, its sides would be planted with groundcover, Burns said.

Sanifill's proposal to expand the landfill to handle the city's trash for the next three decades is raising questions from neighbors who don't want to live near a tower built of trash and from one City Council member who says she has concerns about how well the expansion plans will protect underground water supplies.

But Virginia Department of Environmental Quality officials say the landfill meets state codes, and will get a permit unless the public can make technical arguments that the state's review of the proposal was inadequate.

Residents will get a chance to take their first look at the site plans at a hearing being conducted by Sanifill Tuesday, at 7:30 p.m. at the Northampton Community Center, 1435A Todds Lane.

State officials plan to conduct their own hearing April 4, and make a final decision later in the month.

Neighbors are concerned about the prospect of a towering landfill,

"We bought in knowing there would be a landfill. We didn't know it would triple in size," said Westview Lakes subdivision resident Ray Cuppen.

"I'm concerned about the land value," said Denise Beavers, vice president of the Westview Lakes Homeowners Association. "I'm concerned about the height of it. Our kids enjoy the lakes in the subdivision. Obviously, I'm concerned if they're contaminated."

In addition to the neighborhood opposition, Sanifill's plans to use a continuously-operating system of pumps to protect the groundwater has raised questions from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The agency said in a letter to Virginia officials this fall that if the pumps fail, the underground water table could be threatened from chemicals leaking out of the landfill.

But Virginia DEQ regulators said they are requiring Sanifill officials to run the pumps for the life of the landfill and up to 30 years after it closes.

And the state has enough money from Sanifill in a letter of credit to operate the pumps if the company is no longer able to, said Paul Ferrel, the permit team supervisor for DEQ.

Leaks from the landfill are unlikely because the underground water exerts more pressure on the walls of the landfill than the trash exerts pushing the other way, said Howard Burns, a spokesman for Sanifill.

Monitoring wells that are upstream and downstream from the landfill have not found any contamination of the groundwater at the site, Ferrel said.

The landfill expansion will pack the new garbage on top of the existing dump.

Councilwoman Linda McNeeley said she's concerned that a city of Newport News analysis of the expansion found that the current landfill will eventually leak its waste into the groundwater.

That analysis was done in 1993, when Newport News was considering sending its trash to the landfill.

But DEQ officials said Sanifill plans to install a system to collect any leaks around both the current and the new landfill.

PUBLIC HEARING

* A hearing will be held on the proposed landfill expansion in Hampton Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Northampton Community Center, 1435A Todds Lane.